Ramla

Opportunities for Assistance:
Make a Difference in Ramla

Your support will help create a brighter future for Ethipoian-Israelis in Ramla

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The Challenge

15 km east of Tel Aviv lies the city of Ramla. The name Ramla derives from the Arabic word “raml”, which means “sand”, and refers to the sand dunes on which the city was built.

The city is home to around 67,000 inhabitants. It has a population of 3,648 Ethiopians, 442 of whom are between the age of 13 and 18 years old.

Criminality and a stigmatized city: an educational challenge

Ramla suffers from a negative image, financial problems and neglect. Even though the municipal tries to develop and beautify the city, it is still has a relatively high criminality rate. As one can understand, Ramla therefore doesn’t provide the safe environment that youth need. Besides, according to a research (Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, 2003) they still face educational challenges: 
• Almost all of the children aged 4-13 attend school, but around 5% of the Ethiopian-Israeli between 14-17 years old do not attend any educational framework;‬
• 40% of families with school children lack at least some school textbooks;
• Of those families with very young children, 60% have no reading books at home;
• 60% of the Ethiopian-Israelis aged 6-13, and 42% of those aged 14-17, participate in after-school enrichment or educational programs.‬‬‬‬

ENP's Response

Meeting social educational needs

With inclusion in ENP’s Scholastic Assistance program, ENP serves as an advocate for these children, fully aware and up to date of every single child’s challenges and potential. This increases the likelihood- exponentially- that a child will have increased motivation and opportunity to succeed and more fully integrate into Israeli society. ENP has already reached some noteworthy results:

• 198 7th – 9th graders participated in the program, from 7 schools. 
• 90% of the 2011-12 9th Grade graduates were accepted into the local “Iyuni” (academic) high school where they will be studying for their Bagrut, in contrast to 2005-2006 where only 50% of the students transferred to this high school.
• In 2011-2012, only one of the 9th Grade graduates will be transferred to a boarding school. This is a fantastic achievement in light of the fact that in 2005-2006 31% of the students transferred to such schools.

ENP's mission is to address the most pressing social and educational needs of Ethiopian-Israeli youth aged 13-18. An alarmingly high percentage of Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers aged 14-17 are at risk of partaking in criminal behavior, using drugs or alcohol, and drifting to the fringes of Israeli society. This is not so shocking, however, knowing the situation of Ramla and its instability. This is why ENP’s Youth Outreach Centers offer a safe haven for the Ethiopian-Israeli teens five days a week:

• 175 Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers in Ramla spent their free time at the Center this year.  
• Participants benefited from a variety of activities, such as dance lessons, community service, field trips, capoeira, life skills training, and more. Nation-wide, the youth who attend the outreach centers spend a significant amount of time there: On average, they attend 3.6 times per week and spend 3.4 hours there each time (Myers JDC Brookdale Report 2008)
• 15 of the teens are active in local, heterogeneous youth movements (with their non-Ethiopian peers).

Did you know that…
Positive feedback has been received from the counselors at the Youth Outreach Center about the teens’ progress in these areas. Particularly in the area of integration into Israeli society, the numbers of teens serving in the IDF has increased. This year, 95% of Center participants report high motivation to serve in the IDF. Center graduates who are currently serving in the IDF visit the Center, and help the teens learn what to expect in their enlistment.